Providence Hospice of Whitney

Providence Hospice offers patients with a terminal illness and their family a positive approach of affirming the value of life. It is the largest provider of not-for-profit hospice service in the state of Texas and offers patients expert medical service plus emotional and spiritual support for the entire family.

The goal of Hospice is to keep the patient as comfortable as possible wherever they call home and surrounded by loved ones. Providence Hospice has a team which works with the patient and his/her family. The team consists of the Director, nurses (RN’s, LVN’s, and CAN’s), chaplain, social worker, doctors, volunteer coordinator and volunteers. Volunteers visit and sit with the patient to allow the primary caretaker time to do errands, get some free time to relax, or maybe to just take a sound nap knowing someone is with the loved one.

Volunteers do no medical treatments of any kind. They are not even allowed to give medication. What one can and cannot do as a volunteer is explained in detail during the 3 days of training.

The Hospice program offers two programs. One is called the Tuck-In Program. In it, a volunteer visits once a week on the same day and at the same time each week. The patient and caregiver also receive a call from the hospice office making sure they have all the supplies they need for the upcoming week.

The other program is the 11th hour ministry. Providence Hospice wants no one to die alone. Sometimes patients, especially those in the nursing home, do not have family to surround them as they pass from this life to the next. Volunteers sit with the person as the end of life comes. It is a beautiful ministry and those who sit with the dying patient receive a deep gift of life. Sometimes the service that is most difficult to do can be the most rewarding.

The Hospice in Whitney also offers a Bereavement Program. It is offered the last Monday of the month at 4:00 p.m. at the 210 N. Brazos office. Rainbows are offered for children, youth and teens through the Waco office. Coping with death can be very challenging and difficult. No one should try to walk the journey alone. Call 254-694-9595 to learn more about the Bereavement Program and Rainbows.

To learn more about Hospice, either as a service you may need or in order to volunteer, call Providence Hospice of Whitney at 254-694-6009 or go to the Providence Hospice website. The sooner Providence Hospice is contacted, the more emotional support they can provide. Providence Hospice is a non-profit organization with its head office in Fort Worth. Community Hospice of Texas, of which Providence Hospice is a part, services Dallas, Fort Worth, Whitney, Mexia, Cleburne, and Waco.

If you absolutely know you are not cut out to visit the sick, we have many ways you can help as a volunteer for hospice. We have:

Crochet Ministry: Through our critters we have persons who crochet lap robes for the patients, and now we crochet American Flags for our patients who are veterans

Cake Ministry: When a patient passes, our “cake ladies” bake a cake, casserole, or cookies to be taken to the family just to let them know in an additional way that we care.

Bingo: We assist two of our nursing homes monthly with bingo. Our volunteers assist with this.

Birthday angels: Our volunteers will soon be coming in to make birthday angels for our patients.

Memory Garden: We will soon be developing a garden to be built, planted, cared for, and foods picked from it by our volunteers and others from the community. It will benefit our patients, their family, and eventually people in the community. This project is in the process of being developed.

Tuck-In Program: A volunteer comes in weekly and calls every patient. They often talk to the caregiver. The purpose of this ministry is to make contact, let them know we are thinking of them, make sure they have all medications and supplies they need.

Phones: Volunteers answer the office phones when the Director or administrative assistant is out of the office. Some additional training is needed prior to doing this, but it is not a difficult task. We also need help with filing and similar clerical tasks.

The Chapel's Local Mission committee led by Vicki Thompson and Becky McKee provides some sponsorship to the local Providence Hospice. Several WBC members are or have been volunteers with this group. The current copy of their "Dove Prints" flyer tells about the things that are done locally and the need for volunteers. Aggie Gladbach is featured for her flag-themed lap robes for veterans. You can view the spring edition of Dove Prints to see all that is being done through Providence Hospice within the local Whitney community.

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Thank You from Providence Hospice

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November, 2017

The Chapel Local Mission committee provides support for Providence Hospice. Aggie Gladbach is the Chapel liaison for Providence Hospice. You can read their thank you note.

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Providence Hospice of WhitneyCall for Volunteers

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September, 2016

Providence Hospice of Whitney welcomes all persons in need of compassionate care. The number of patients supported has increased during the last year; going from 25-30 to 30-40. They average 30 patients most of the time.

Providence Hospice of Whitney is non-profit. No patient is ever turned away because of finances. Therefore, they must have fundraisers in order to serve those in need of Hospice. The annual fundraiser luncheon is September 29 at Ridgewood Country Club at 12:00 p.m. in Waco. Hospice needs your support.

Coming to the luncheon will give you a deeper understanding of who Providence Hospice is and what it does. Please call Aggie Gladbach, at the numbers below, if you would like to attend the luncheon or make a donation supporting Providence Hospice. Donations made from Whitney will come back to Whitney.

Aggie is the Volunteer Coordinator for Providence Hospice in Whitney. For all the new members of the Chapel and those who may not attend White Bluff Chapel, your time and energy is needed.

First, is the need for Volunteers to visit the patients. Many of the patients ask for a volunteer to be a companion, giving the caretaker the opportunity to go to the store, go out for lunch, or go to the doctor for themselves. Sometimes they just need to take a nap having gone without sleep caring for their loved one. Volunteers are trained before becoming a companion.

Second, the Volunteer Ministry makes American Flags for the patients who are veterans. The Veterans are honored as they receive the flag. One of their patients hung the flag on the wall; another had it lying on the foot of his bed. One patient's spouse incorporated the flag in the funeral. Persons who crochet are greatly needed for the flag making ministry.

Third is the Cake Baking Ministry. When a patient of Providence Hospice dies, we have volunteers who are called to bake a cake for the family. This cake is for the family, letting them know we are thinking of them and caring for them during this time.

Fourth, they suggest a visit with the spouses of White Bluff who have used Providence Hospice and allow them to tell their story. Coming onto Hospice is not a death sentence. Hospice welcomes you when you are no longer receiving treatment for healing. The earlier the patient comes on Hospice the better quality of life they will have during the final months or even a year or more of life. To learn more about Hospice and how it can benefit you now or in the years to come, call Aggie Gladbach, 694-6009 or 694-9595.

PROVIDENCE HOSPICE NEEDS YOU!

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Volunteer Training Slated for Providence Hospice

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Posted September, 2013

"Providing compassionate end-of-life care and service"

Aggie Gladbach, Volunteer Coordinator for Providence Hospice of Whitney, has announced that volunteer training will be offered the week of November 4 - 7 (originally October 21-24) from 9:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m. daily, with the location of the training still to be announced.

Being a volunteer for Hospice gives you the opportunity to assist families who are facing the death of a loved one by serving as a sitter. As difficult as it appears to be, this loving gesture gives life to those who serve the Lord, giving of themselves to the person facing death and to their loved ones, as well.

Men and women both are needed for this ministry. Sitting with the person who is ill gives their caretaker the opportunity to relax for a while and to do errands he/she cannot do on a regular basis. As the volunteer coordinator for the Whitney office, it is Gladbach’s responsibility to recruit and help train volunteers who will sit with the patients while the caregiver goes out. Often the sitter is there as much for the caregiver as for the patient.

The volunteer simply sits with the patient. Some patients enjoy having someone read to them; others just like to have a visitor. You will take care of none of their medical needs. You give no medications and if, for any reason, the patient requires medical attention, you call the office and a nurse will come out.

Hospice cannot exist without the help of its volunteers. There are several from W.B. Chapel who serve in this capacity, and they will tell you what a life-giving experience it can be. The caseload has increased over this last year and Hospice is now in need of more volunteers to get trained and start taking shifts.

New programs are being initiated by Hospice, as well. One of the programs is called the 11th Hour Ministry. In this ministry, the volunteer sits with the patient during the final hours of life. Providence Hospice wants no one to die alone. Another new program is the Tuck-In Program. In this ministry, you take the names of maybe one or two patients and you call them weekly. You are calling just as a friend, making sure all is going well for them and that they have everything they need to get them through the weekend.

The philosophy of Hospice Care is singular in nature. It revolves around the importance of advocating the needs of the terminally ill. Hospice neither hastens death nor prolongs life. Hospice strives to make the process surrounding death a natural part of life. Their goals are:

To assure that the philosophy and mission of hospice is understood and supported.

The core values of Hospice are compassion, integrity, commitment, and teamwork. As a volunteer, you will be a member of the Hospice team of Whitney. Shortly after the training there will be a “pumpkin exchange” luncheon at the office including the nurses, chaplain, social worker, and volunteers. The goal is to have all function as a viable team by building rapport among all its members.

To volunteer, call Aggie at 254-694-6009. If she is not in the office, leave your name and telephone number and she will return your call.

Mission of the Month, May 2012

Providence Hospice of Whitney needs YOU!

Have you been asking yourself how you might more fully serve your community? Providence Hospice of Whitney, which has recently replaced Hospice of the Heart, invites you to become a volunteer visitor for hospice patient(s) in their system, and Aggie Gladbach of W.B. Chapel is your contact with them, and she can facilitate getting you enrolled for volunteer training.

Hospice is designed to enhance life for the patient when the time remaining is limited. Providence Hospice offers its patients a collaborative system of palliative care for making the quality of life as comfortable and pain-free as possible. This collaborative care consists of several essential input roles. While the primary roles are those of the full-time caregiver (with whom the patient lives), nurses to take care of the medical needs, nursing assistants to perform personal care, and a chaplain to minister to the patient spiritually, it is the addition of a visiting friend that makes the picture of palliative care whole.

Visiting the patient gives the caregiver time to go out for lunch, keep doctor appointments, do the shopping, or even do other duties around the house while the volunteer visitor is there. To serve as a volunteer visitor, you do not need to have nursing skills. In fact, a volunteer cannot perform anything that requires a nurse.

As a new volunteer, you will receive training in which you will learn what can and cannot be done by the volunteer. On your first visit to a patient, Aggie will go with you and introduce you to the caregiver as well as the patient. As a volunteer, you will also be needed to help out in the Hospice office occasionally. Hospice cannot exist without its volunteers.

Providence Hospice of Whitney will offer training on the four Thursdays in June, June 7, 14, 21, & 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please call Aggie Gladbach at Providence 254-694-6009. She will sit down and visit with you to provide more detail on what being a volunteer for Hospice can do for you. Call today to learn what you can give to Hospice and to discover how your life will be enhanced as a volunteer.